{"id":351786,"date":"2025-12-16T13:29:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T13:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/351786\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T13:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T13:29:13","slug":"david-spriggs-suspends-astra-as-a-cloud-of-transparent-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/351786\/","title":{"rendered":"david spriggs suspends &#8216;astra&#8217; as a cloud of transparent planes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>astra: an indoor cloud floats in kansas<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Vancouver-based artist David Spriggs completes his latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/public-art\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">public<\/a> artwork, Astra, within the atrium of the State Docking Building in Kansas. Suspended high above the public floor, the work takes shape as a spatial installation to be experienced from below, around, and through movement.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From a distance, Astra reads as a loose atmospheric mass gathered beneath the ceiling plane. As viewers approach, its structure becomes legible through a sequence of layered acrylic sheets, each UV printed and suspended in alignment. The installation floats within the space lightly and forms a volume defined by depth and spacing rather than solid mass. Sightlines through the atrium shift continuously as the layers compress and separate in perspective.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1169904 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"david spriggs astra\" width=\"818\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/david-spriggs-astra-topeka-kansas-designboom-02.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>images courtesy the artist<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>david spriggs\u2019 shifting artwork to be viewed gradually<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>David Spriggs constructs Astra through stacked transparent planes that carry fragments of image and color. Individually, each sheet appears partial and insubstantial. Together, they generate a volumetric presence that feels architectural in scale yet dependent on position and movement. The acrylic surfaces catch ambient light from the atrium while integrated LED lighting sharpens edges and intensifies chromatic transitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mirrored stainless steel panels installed above extend the visual field vertically, multiplying the perceived height of the installation and folding the atrium back into itself. This reflection doubles the depth of the work and reinforces its suspension between ceiling and floor. Steel beams and hanging hardware remain precise and restrained, as the layered field reads as a continuous \u2014 yet ephemeral \u2014 whole.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/davidspriggs.art\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">artist<\/a> creates this work to reward slow circulation. Viewed from one angle, the form appears to dissolve into thin lines and gaps. From another, density returns and the volume coheres. This constant recalibration places the body in an active role, with perception shaped by pace and position. This way, the atrium becomes a space for pause and observation rather than passage alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1169903 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"david spriggs astra\" width=\"818\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/david-spriggs-astra-topeka-kansas-designboom-01.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>Astra hangs within the atrium of the State Docking Building in Kansas<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1169905 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"david spriggs astra\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/david-spriggs-astra-topeka-kansas-designboom-03.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>the installation occupies the atrium of the civic building<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1169906 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"david spriggs astra\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/david-spriggs-astra-topeka-kansas-designboom-04.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>layered acrylic sheets form a spatial image through depth and alignment<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1169907 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"artist david spriggs suspends 'astra' installation as an ephemeral cloud of transparent planes\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/david-spriggs-astra-topeka-kansas-designboom-05.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>the work changes appearance as viewers move through the atrium<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1169908 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"artist david spriggs suspends 'astra' installation as an ephemeral cloud of transparent planes\" width=\"818\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/david-spriggs-astra-topeka-kansas-designboom-06.jpg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>mirrored surfaces extend the perceived height of the space<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"astra: an indoor cloud floats in kansas \u00a0 Vancouver-based artist David Spriggs completes his latest public artwork, Astra,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134,5423],"class_list":{"0":"post-351786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-public-art"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}